Increase Sales with On Page and Off Page SEO

Companies use the term SEO interchangeably with lead generation because it is assumed both yield the same end result – fresh prospects. While SEO is a critical first step in attracting potential customers to your site, it isn’t the end goal, and it isn’t enough to simply generate leads.

A high volume of first time visitors to your website is only meaningful when they convert or at least explore a few pages of your website opposed to leaving, or bouncing, from the page they first landed on. In fact, websites with high bounce rates are punished by search engines, which work against your lead generation efforts. It’s critical to attract potential customers with needs you are able to address, rather than general traffic made up of site visitors that quickly realize you aren’t who they thought you were, and bounce.

One way to ensure you attract the right kind of website traffic is to think like a potential customer. From a potential customer’s perspective, consider what problems you are trying to solve, or what questions you are trying to answer. Play out different scenarios starting with what caught your attention about your website, what would you expect to see on the first page you land on, and what would motivate you to take a next step. Apply your insights to Off Page SEO, On Page SEO, and each Call-To-Action Button.

Off Page SEO

To attract potential customers, drive inbound traffic to your website using keyword phrases associated with your target audience’s needs. These keywords could include phrases or questions that describe common problems associated with their role and responsibilities. If the target audience was a procurement manager for example, you might use, “supply chain services.” These needs/keyword phrases might be used in a blog, articles you write, comments you use in response to other people’s blogs, posts on social media sites, or email communications.

On Page SEO

On your website pages, the keyword phrases should be used to tag images (when appropriate), page titles, headings, subheadings, your website copy and META descriptions listed on the results page. META descriptions are seen under the website url in search results. The more enticing the META descriptions, the higher the probability of the link being clicked on by potential customers.

Call-To-Action

Think of a call-to-action as the next logical step you would like a potential customer take after they land on your website, but before they leave it. The call-to-action should draw attention and entice visitors with an offer that resonates with them. Call-to-actions are an intermediary step visitors could take when they’re interested in learning more about your company, but are not yet ready to interact with a sales person. Without a call-to-action button, a potential customer may leave your site without giving you an opportunity to initiate a relationship or make a connection.

An effective call-to-action should capture the essence of their problem and your solution as a natural next step. In other words, it should reaffirm WHY they should work with you.

On page or off page SEO alone is not enough to generate leads. Successful search engine optimization is accomplished by those who recognize SEO is part of a whole – a means to an end – not an end onto itself. The value of SEO is realized when orchestrated with a website’s content and call-to-action that flow together naturally from a user’s perspective to convert leads and ultimately increase sales.